I already feel judged for having a Motability car

Young disabled people have reacted angrily to the first significant changes made to the mobility scheme since it was launched almost 50 years ago.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in the Budget that insurance included in mobility leases will be taxed, and VAT will be added to advanced payments charged on high-value cars.

The Chancellor said now was the time to “reduce the generous taxpayer subsidy” for the scheme, which allows eligible disabled people to lease vehicles that can be adapted to their needs.

Motability has said that any increase in lease costs “could have a significant impact on the independence and daily lives of disabled people”.

In recent years the number of people owning a mobility car has increased rapidly to 860,000.

This growing demand is a result of more people successfully claiming the higher-rate mobility component of benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a non-means tested benefit designed to help offset the greater travel costs experienced by disabled people.

Teenager Rivers-James Whybrow says owning a Motability car often makes him feel “fake”.

The 18-year-old is autistic, has ADHD and has a condition that affects his joints, causing him regular pain.

He says that people have in the past also directly challenged him as to why he is eligible for a car in the scheme.

“If you want my car, take my disabilities,” he says, adding that he just wants “the same opportunities as anyone else.”

Rivers-James can’t drive herself, but says having a car means her support worker can take her out and give her “access to the world”.

He says he is angry at the decision to remove tax breaks for the scheme, saying the people making the changes are “not living it up”.

“If they knew what was going on day-to-day, they probably wouldn’t have made these decisions,” he says.

His frustration is shared by 21-year-old Maxwell McKnight, who rents a wheelchair-adapted van that allows him to get to university, work, and see his girlfriend.

“Without it, I basically sit at home,” he says.

“I get comments online, ‘Why are we paying for this guy’s car?’

“People aren’t paying for my car – there’s no sense in that.”

Although a heavily-customised vehicle like Maxwell’s will not be subject to the new VAT charge on upfront fees, he says phrases like “generous taxpayer subsidy” contribute to people’s understanding of how the scheme works.

He says, “It is made out as if disabled people live with advantages, whereas we do not.”

Kat Whitehouse, co-chief executive of disability charity Transport for All, says removing the scheme’s tax exemption would leave “our community facing huge charges that will push us out of society”.

But critics say the extra cost benefits that qualify customers for mobility support are increasingly being given for conditions that were not meant to qualify for mobility support.

Matt Ryder, who used to work on mobility policy for the Department for Work and Pensions, says the focus should be on suppressing the number of people who become eligible for the scheme by improving how mental health conditions are assessed for the PIP mobility component.

“You shouldn’t get a motivational car with mental health problems,” he says.

“The intent of the policy was clear.”

The scheme hit the headlines a day before the Budget with the announcement that Motability customers would no longer be able to choose “premium” brands like BMW or Mercedes.

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Reeves said the Motability scheme was “set up to protect the most vulnerable, not to subsidize leasing on Mercedes-Benz”.

The plan has come under intense scrutiny in recent months, with critics arguing that the tax reliefs on the plan were excessive and outdated.

The Treasury largely indicated that changes would be made, but Reeves stayed away from the more drastic option of scrapping the VAT exemption on the entire scheme.

Motability suggested to the BBC that they would not have “survived” if this move had been taken.

A government spokesperson said: “Motability customers will still be able to lease a car alongside their qualifying disability benefits, as there will still be cars available through the scheme that do not require upfront payment.

“As well as ensuring that disabled people can access vehicles, we are also committed to improving mobility and saving taxpayers £1 billion over five years.”